Amor’s call to arms

John Yates

DEADLY rivals Saints and Wigan have been urged to join forces in a bid to repel an Australian ‘invasion’ and help restore pride to the British game at club level.

The get-behind-your-country call comes from St Helens prop forward Kyle Amor ahead of the World Club Series in which Saints face the Sydney Roosters on Friday night and 24 hours later the Warriors entertain the Brisbane Broncos.

Amor, who moved to Langtree Park in 2014 from Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, wants Wigan fans to head over Billinge Hill and give their vocal support to Keiron Cunningham’s boys and Saints’ followers to make the reverse journey to the DW Stadium the following night and roar on the Cherry and Whites.

The Irish international said: “I can understand why many Wigan supporters may not want to support Saints due to the long-standing rivalry and vice verse but I’m looking at the bigger picture and it would be great for once if club fans - some of whom can be very fickle and narrow minded at times - put their loyalties to one side for at least this weekend.

“I also hope others will head across the Pennines on Sunday to watch Leeds Rhinos’ bid to lift the World Club crown against North Queensland Cowboys and as a former player at Headingley I will be rooting for them as well as Wigan.”

Like most of his team-mates, the Cumbrian-born powerhouse forward had to suffer the humiliation of a 39-0 drubbing in last year’s final against the South Sydney Rabbitohs - the heaviest-ever defeat in the history of the competition - and is still haunted by it.

Amor said:”We shot ourselves in the foot that night and didn’t perform anywhere near our best on the world stage and will be looking to put it right against a club which,despite not winning the NRL Grand Final, are considered the best team Down Under.

“I know we are not playing in the actual final but we will be giving it 100 per cent commitment and victory over the Roosters will help erase our bitter disappointment of 12 months ago.

“I have watched the video of the match twice during the close season and this may sound crackers on reflection but had Mark Percival scored in the corner to cut the deficit to 12-6 then who knows what could have happened.

“I’m not saying we would have gone on to win the match because to be totally honest we were beaten by a better side.

“Now we have a chance to make up for that disappointment, even though it will be against different opposition, and at the same time give our loyal fans and the town in general a boost.”

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